Nikita Season 3 Episode 21 – Invisible Hand

Synopsis: Nikita wants to go after Amanda and her new partners, The Shop, while Alex considers a different offer. The rest of the team is reluctant but backs up Nikita.

Flashback to last episode. Amanda reiterates that she needs both Michael and Nikita alive for her plan to work.

Night in a mostly empty parking lot. Nikita picks up the keys to a black sedan and gets inside. She opens a satellite communication with a colleague who is looking into Amanda’s new hit-man wearing the shooting glasses. Her colleague, Henry, can’t give her any information then he apologizes right before the the hit-man, Smith, shoots him and steps in front of the camera. The car locks her in and starts accelerating toward another parked car. Nikita knocks out the sunroof and rolls to safety before the fiery crash.

Division. Nikita returns and tells Michael what happened. Nikita wants to go after Amanda but Michael wants to leave; Ryan is in Washington getting the President to sign off on the pardons. Nikita insists, “Amanda will keep coming unless I stop her.” Birkhoff walks in to let Nikita know he’s ready to start taking the car apart to look for a lead on The Shop. Michael doesn’t look pleased.

Cobalt River Facility, Michigan. Amanda is with The Shop where a doctor is working on something. A mystery man from The Shop has a target for Amanda to eliminate. He cautions Amanda that they are invisible for a reason and isn’t thrilled with her arrangement for Nikita.

Division. Birkhoff is tearing apart the car from Nikita’s crash. Sonya is helping him. Birkhoff jokes about wishing he could reach inside Nikita’s head and yank out the chip that makes her like this. They find a small computer chip. Birkhoff quotes Boromir from Lord of the Rings, “It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing.” Sonya drops it into a server and Birkhoff is able to use the chip to hack into one of The Shop’s satellites. A satellite that doesn’t exist in any registry.

They are able to listen in on a phone call of Smith, the shooter, mention the Cobalt facility and a target, Hasan, in New York. Sonya is familiar with Hasan’s work as a human rights activist. Birkhoff wonders why The Shop would care about her. Michael and Nikita recall their visit with Heidecker and the children he was transporting. Michael wants to warn the authorities but Nikita insists on protecting Hasan. Nikita insists this is the last mission.

New York. Hasan is holding a small press conference on the steps to a building. Nikita and Michael are nearby. Alexandra Udinov made a sizable donation and gets close to Hasan. Apparently, Hasan has been trying to get in touch with Alex feeling that her story makes her a hero. And makes her an offer to become a special envoy to the UN. Nikita spots Smith too late and he is able to cut Hasan though not badly. Nikita gives chase while Alex stays with Hasan. She finds Smith in a nearby alley. During their fight one of Hasan’s security men arrives and Nikita has to knock him aside. Then she takes out Smith cutting his throat and stabbing him with his own knife. Nikita picks up his cell phone and sends a text stating “Hasan wounded. Nikita on site. Laying low.” The reply is “Use caution. You don’t know her like I do.” Nikita knows it is Amanda on the other end.

Division. Birkhoff traces the text to Cobalt River in northern Michigan. Nothing shows up on normal satellites but using The Shop’s black bird he can see the facility. Nikita is ready to charge back out the door after Amanda but Michael stops her. “I thought this was the last one.” Nikita replies, “It is. But it’s not over yet. When I get her, then it’s over.” Michael questions whether Amanda did something to Nikita to make her this obsessed with the mission. Nikita asks Michael to come with her, “In case I stop being myself.” Birkhoff assures Michael he’ll be looking out for Nikita as well.

Elsewhere in Division. Alex is telling Sonya about the offer Hasan made. Sonya encourages Alex, as she is the only one that has a real life to go back to. (While the rest of Division was criminals given a second chance. Alexandra was a princess sold into slavery and rescued by Nikita.)

That night. Birkhoff is stressing about the mission when Sonya comes back from reconfiguring some servers. Sonya assures him that she will be with him after Division is over.

Michael and Nikita reach the perimeter of the Cobalt facility. Birkhoff guides them past some pressure sensors under the ground. Sonya assists Birkhoff hacking The Shop’s security. Birkhoff warns them of automated counter measures. Nikita sees the doctor experimenting on a patient and naturally charges right ahead. The doctor sees her coming and activates an automated gun turret that begins blasting away. Birkhoff and Sonya are able to disable the gun allowing Nikita and Michael to get into the room with the doctor. He pulls out a small transmitter and the patient appears to explode blood from his nose, mouth, and eyes. Nikita tries to ask the doctor where Amanda is but they run out of time. Nikita takes the doctor and Michael grabs the cases of serum the doctor was working with. The gun turrets start again pinning Michael and Nikita down. Michael is hit in the shoulder. Birkhoff manages to get the doors unlocked again.

Division. Medical. Sonya removes the bullet from Michael’s shoulder and bandages him. Nikita is questioning the doctor who denies knowing Amanda. And resists telling them anything other than he’s working with some kind of nano-particles and the blue vial is the antidote. Nikita injects the doctor and he immediately pleads for the antidote. Nikita asks what Amanda was doing at the facility. Now the doctor is cooperative and quickly tells her that Amanda was their to inspect the facility and wants to use the toxin on a high profile target. Then the doctor explains that the toxin is an upgrade to Division’s kill chip. It lives in the blood stream and can be triggered from anywhere via microwave frequency. Before Nikita can give him the antidote the satellite sends a signal killing the doctor.

Birkhoff and Sonya are suited up performing an autopsy on the doctor as Nikita and Michael stand by. Birkhoff confirms the nano-toxin in the doctor’s blood. Then Nikita and Michael realize Amanda must have known somehow that the doctor was injected. Nikita asks Birkhoff to look for a cochlear implant on the doctor. They find a more advanced version that would have allowed Amanda to hear everything. Michael questions who the high profile target is. They realize it must be Hasan who was wounded by Smith.

New York. Alex goes to see Hasan.

Sonya tells the others that Hasan is giving a speech tonight and that must be when Amanda plans to strike. Birkhoff traces the satellite signal to an old aqueduct in Philadelphia. Nikita tells Birkhoff to prep for dual operations. Michael doesn’t like the idea of spreading themselves that thin. Nikita insists that she can’t go to New York because Hasan’s bodyguards would recognize her from the alley. So Michael will take the antidote to Alex in New York while Nikita goes after Amanda. And she promises that she will stand down once Hasan gets the antidote and wait for Michael to back her up. Nikita kisses Michael and walks away leaving him standing there with a concerned look on his face.

Night. New York. Alex and Hasan are in an auditorium where Hasan is planning her speech. Michael is in a SUV minutes away from Alex. Nikita is in Philadelphia entering the old aqueduct when communication is cut off. Nikita continues ahead.

Philadelphia. Amanda steps out from the shadows. Amanda reveals that he target has always been Nikita. Hasan was just part of the plan. Nikita just stares down the barrel of her gun at Amanda. She tells Nikita it is just the two of them. Nikita asks, “Unarmed?” Amanda replies, “Oh, I fired my shot weeks ago. It’s just reaching you now.” Nikita suspects Amanda did something to her brain. Amanda replies, “No. That was just theater.” And explains the rest of the ruse from the car crash to the satellite chip and scripted phone call that led her to Hasan. Amanda does admit that Nikita got ahead of Smith as he was supposed to drop his phone in the alley and not get killed. Amanda wanted Nikita to see the doctor die so she could carry out her final mission with clarity. “Final mission? You think you can control me with fear? Like I haven’t been injected with poisons before.” Amanda states, “It doesn’t have to be injected. It can just as easily be embedded in carbon fiber bone.” Nikita starts to lower her gun as Amanda reveals that Michael’s hand from The Shop came with a price; that was the shot Amanda fired weeks ago.

Amanda warns Nikita, “Touch me and Michael dies. Of course you could have given Michael the antidote, but he’s probably using your only one right now.”

New York. Michael arrives, hands Alex the antidote, and causes a distraction allowing her to discretely inject Hasan with the antidote. Michael tells Birkhoff it’s done but Birkhoff is still out of communication with Nikita.

Philadelphia. “You can save Michael. All you have to do is carry out one final assassination for me.” “Who?” “Your target is Kathleen Spencer, President of the United States.” Nikita asks, “Why kill the President?” Amanda doesn’t know and doesn’t care, The Shop wants it done. Amanda informs Nikita she has 24 hours until Michael dies and she can’t tell anyone or warn anyone or Michael dies. “You can’t even tell the man you love. He would rather sacrifice himself than watch his beloved commit such a horrible act. Telling him would be sentencing him to death and that is something even you can’t live with.” The gun slides from Nikita’s hand and clatters on the stone floor. Nikita is distraught and gasps, “Even if Michael lives, we’ll never be together again.” Nikita slips to her knees. “My life is over.” Amanda says, “No silly. The President’s life is over. Your life will go back to what it should be. You are what I made you, now and forever.” Amanda injects Nikita with the tracking and listening device that the doctor had implanted. Nikita slowly walks into the shadows.

Division. Birkhoff has a schematic on the screen showing The Shop has facilities all over the world; they’re not just an American think tank. The Shop cuts their connection. Nikita walks slowly into Division. Birkhoff is happy to see her. Nikita tries to keep up a facade and makes up a story about Amanda not being at the location.

Ok. I know the viewers need some help sometimes but Nikita’s entire body language and attitude is different. If her best friends can’t tell something is deeply wrong after an encounter with Amanda then they’re being dumb. I think this was over-played. Nikita should be much better at hiding secrets and acting more normal. Just a hint hear and there when no one else is around would be better.

Medical. Nikita tells the same lie to Michael and Alex. Who both go along with it. Alex talks about how strong Hasan is before leaving Michael and Nikita alone. Michael looks at Nikita, “I thought I lost you.” They embrace and kiss. Michael asks what is wrong but Nikita turns away. Nikita wants to go away and get married like Michael previously suggested. Michael walks out to get ready to elope. Nikita tells him she’ll catch up. She picks up the bullet that was pulled out of Michael’s shoulder earlier and puts it under the microscope. She confirms that he is carrying the nano-toxin as Amanda told her. Tears roll down her cheeks.

Armory. Nikita is fitting a silencer to her sidearm.

This week wasn’t bad. However, the show seems rather empty with so few cast members, or even extras, right now. And I really didn’t like the drastic attitude change with Nikita; just way too obvious and her friends are apparently oblivious.

Next week’s preview shows Nikita telling Michael about her situation and apparently killing the President. So I have to assume the President is not really dead or they just gave away the whole show. So do they use a double? Was there a dream sequence? Ryan Fletcher came up with some crazy scheme because Birkhoff anticipated and listened in on the chip that Amanda implanted in Nikita?